Fluidtight coupling



June n9, w36; H. TAxLLE'r-ERRE 2,043,562

FLUIDTIGHT COUPLING Filed Nov. 22, 19:54'

HENRI TAILLEFERRE, INVENTOR ATToR'Ns/.s

Patented June 9, 1936 FLUIDTIGHT CQUPLING Henri Taillefer-re, Paris, France Application November 22, 1934, Serial No. 754,242 In France November 23, 1933 4 Claims.

The object of the present invention is to provide a new ball and socket joint for the fiuidtight coupling of parts movable with respect to each other, said ball and socket joint being provided with packing means for ensuring the fluidtightness of the two parts of said joint.

Fluidtightness is ensured by the pressure of the fluid itself acting on a system of juxtaposed cup-shaped elements or rings bearing upon the two respective parts of the ball and socket joint, the spaces between the successive cup-shaped elements having variable volumes, in such manner that the pressure of the iluid acting on the rst of these cup-shaped elements is partly transmitted to the space under this element, and so on from each cup-shaped element to the next one, whereby the pressure on the inner face of the last element ofthe series is but Very little higher than the pressure on the outer face of said element.

These cup-shaped elements consist of rings of a suitable metal the edges of which are so devised that, under the action of the pressure acting on the irst of these elements, said edges are curved so as to have, at their points of contact with the parts of the joint with which they must ensure liuidtightness, a radius of curvature sub; stantially equal to that of the surfaces against which they are applied.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fiuldtight ball and socket joint includes an outerr element made of two parts connected together by means of bolts, and an inner element adapted to engage in said outer element. Fluidtightness between these two' elements of the joint is ensured by the cup-shaped rings above mentined, which are piled upon one another, leaving between them intervals of very small volumes, decreasing 'from the rst to the last. `ll'luidtight'- ness between the external and the internal elements of the joint and the respective parts to be connected together through said joint is ob-l tained in any suitable manner.

A preferred embodiment 'of the present invention will be hereinafter described, with reference to the accompanyng drawing, given merely by way oi' example, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of an embodiment of the ball and socket joint according to the present invention;

Fig.v 2 is a diagrammatical view showing the cup-shapedrings that form uidtight packings between the elements of the joint, in the position they occupy when no pressure i: acting thereon;

55 Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the rings in the `position they occupy when they are subjected to the action of a pressure.

, The outer body is made of two parts I and 2, connected together by means of nuts 3 applied against parts 4. 'I'he inner body II ts in said outer body. The outer element I is prolonged by a threaded part 5 within which is xed tube 6 to be connected with tube Ii'. Said tube 6 is mounted in a similar manner in the inner element I I. Tube 6 is xed in postion by means of a nut 8 which is screwed on parti and cooperates with a collar 1 provided on said tube 6 so as to apply it against the outer element I, 2 of the joint.

The inner element II is provided with a prolonged part I3 which ts inside the outer element |-2. The inner element II is provided with a threaded prolonged part I2 adapted to .cooperate with a nut 8' so as to iix tube 6 on the inner element of the joint in the same manner as that provided for the fixation of tube 6 in part 5 of the outer element I--2.

Fluidtightness of the joint is obtained by means of a plurality of cup-shaped rings a1, a2, an mounted in a cup I5 and held by means of a nut I4 screwed on the top of inner element II. 'I'his nut I4 is provided with notches I5 which permit to adjust it.

As shown by Figs. 2 and 3, the cup-shaped rings ala2, an are superposed but with very small intervals left between one another owing to the interposition of intermediate pieces b1, b2, bn. The volumes of these intervals increase from the top to the bottom in accordance with a determined law, which depends upon the pressures to which they are subjected and the nature of the uid.

Init is supposed that the pressure acting on cup-shaped ring a1 is P, the fluid in the joint will leak past the edge of said ring between the wall of the external element I, 2 and said ring, at the point where the latter is tangent to said wall. Consequently, the pressure in the space between a1 and a2 will be P--p1, because of the partial expansion of the iluid in the annular space between a1 and a.

Under ring a. the pressure will be P--pl-p in view of thesmall amount of uidthat leaks past said ring a', and so on. If a sumcient number of rings is provided and the volumes of the spaces between the successive rings are suitably chosen, the pressure under ring au will have a value Pf-pl-ppn, very little diiferent from the pressure under the 'last cup-shaped Rossum 'of the outer element I2.

While I have, in the above description, disclosed what 1 deem to be a practical and eiilcient embodiment of the present invention, it should be well understood that I do not wish to be llmited thereto as there might be changes made in the arrangement, disposition and form of the parts without departing from the principle of the present invention as comprehended within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A ball and socket joint for connecting together two tubular members intended .to contain a iluid under a high pressure, which comprises, in combination. an outer joint element, an inner joint element adapted to iit in said outer Joint element, a plurality of annular cup-shaped members disposed inside said outer element between it and the inner element, said members bearing tangentially without interruption along their whole periphery on the inner wall of at least one oisaid elements, meansfor axially spacing said annular members at given intervals from one another, so that' the respective pressures in the successive intervals, from the in- -side toward the outside have values decreasing from the pressure inside said joint down to a pressure but very little higher than the pressure o! the medium surrounding said joint.

2. A ball andsocket joint for connecting together two tubular members intended to contain a iluid under a high pressure, which comprises, in combination, an outer element, means for rigidly xing in a iluidtight manner said element to one of said tubular members, an inner 5 element adapted to t in the outer element. means for rigidly xing in a uidtight manner said inner element to the other tubular member.

a plurality of metallic cup-shaped rings deformable under the eiiect of the pressure in the joint 10 disposed in superposed relation to one another inside said outer element between it and the inner element so as to be applied tangentially without interruption along their whole periphery against the inner wall of said outer element i5-4 by the pressure inside the joint, intermediate members between said rings for spacing them apart so as to leave given intervals between them respectively, whereby the respective pressures in the successive intervals from the inside toward 20 the outside have values decreasing from the pressure inside said joint-down to a pressure but very little higher than the pressure of the medium surrounding said joint.

3. A ball and socket joint according to claim 1 25 in which said means for axially spacing apart said annular members are so arranged that the respective volumes of the successive intervals between said annular members increase trom the inside toward the outside of the joint. v 30 4. A ball and socket joint according to claim 2 in which said intermediate members are so dimensioned that the respective. volumes of the successive intervals between said annulanmem- .bers increase from the inside toward the outside 35 

